Creation and the Self
Reflection from Centered Adventures
Here’s a little piece that I wrote for Centered Adventures:
“And men go forth to wonder at the heights of mountains, the huge waves of the sea, the broad flow of the rivers, the extent of the ocean, and the courses of the stars, and omit to wonder at themselves…” Augustine, Confessions, Book X Chapter VIII
One of the things that I love most about spending time outdoors is the way it slows me down.
It is almost reflexive for me to speed up, to go full force through life, to sprint ahead from one thing to the next. As I write this now, I’m sitting in an airport on my way from Charlotte to Boston, so I thought I would sandwich writing a poignant, thoughtful post between the running the gauntlet that is airport security and the sardine shuffle that precedes boarding the plane. What a calm, relaxing atmosphere for such a task!
When I’m not rushing through my workday, tackling too many projects, building a front porch railing or a new fence for the backyard, I can let myself get sucked into social media or the latest TV series I’m interested in (there’s a meme about middle-aged dads watching YouTube shorts and drinking whisky that I identify with a little too much!).
But when I go out backpacking, I’m intentional about not being on the phone (I often leave it behind), and I don’t have access to work. It is amazing how the busyness and cares of life fall away as I tread out that first quarter mile of the hike in. The buzzing in my head fades into silence and I can feel my body’s energy settle. The sounds of nature around me - the rustling of leaves in the breeze, the sometime patter of raindrops, birds and other creatures being at home in the forest - replace the noise. My body’s energy smooths out and feels more consistent and accessible. My senses come alive as the smells, sounds, and vibrant colors pop into sharp reality.
My mind and body find a more natural pace. I love this part of every trip. There is a rhythm that comes to the experience, and there is a sweetness to it that is unique and satisfying.
Of course, slowing down isn’t all fun and games. There is a reason that we allow ourselves to be caught up in the busyness of life. One of those reasons is escape. Not the kind of escape that we are going into when we go out into the outdoors, but rather the escape that we pursue from the reality of ourselves. When my mind and body slow down, I am forced to come face to face with myself. Life’s busyness often keeps me distracted from seeing my own ways of moving through the world; from facing my hurt, loss, or grief; or from reconciling with my own failures.
On the trail, we come face to face with the glory of creation, but we also have the opportunity, as Augustine puts it, to pursue wonder of ourselves. Yes, there is often hurt and pain and difficulty, but there is also true awesome wonder and glory. As with nature’s terrain, the terrain of our inner lives contains hard climbs, harrowing environments, but also peaks and pinnacles that are glorious to behold.
Don’t “omit to wonder” at yourself when you venture out into the great outdoors.
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A terrific piece. Thank you!
Love this! The reality that slowing down and refusing distraction brings you face to face with the terrain of yourself. We avoid it! Oh how we try to fill the space so we don’t have to do that expedition. But the views and vistas we are missing! Thanks for the reminder.